Uptown Theater

I left my house briefly on Wednesday last week for a grocery run, before the official #StayHomeMN order went into place, but like most, I have been socially distancing at home for a few weeks.

My home office has transitioned into a photo studio so we can continue creating imagery for the magazine despite stores, restaurants, and our office being closed. If I have needed anything to be dropped off to photograph, our editors have been great about helping pick stuff up and leaving it on my back steps so that we all have as little contact as possible.

It was nice to be able to get a real assignment again that took me out of the studio, like a small measure of normality was back. I don’t have a mask or gloves, but I brought with wipes and hand sanitizer in case I needed to open a door or come into contact with anyone. I only passed a few people, even during the usually busy lunch hour downtown, so it was very easy to stay well beyond the recommended 6 feet distance.

I entered U.S. Bank Plaza, where the Mpls.St.Paul Magazine offices are, and immediately noticed the new hand sanitizer standing by the door. I started walking the skyways, and only passed one other person between three buildings. It was eerie to be downtown during lunch hour, when the skyways are usually bustling with people buying food. One man stood outside of Potbelly’s in the IDS Center, where a worker handed him his order through a barely-open door.

Even the parking ramps that usually fill up around 8:30 a.m. stood empty, with the few street parking spots being used mainly by construction workers. Some downtowners walked outside along Nicollet Mall, wearing masks, clearly trying to avoid the skyways and any doors. In Uptown, a few people walked alone enjoying the sunshine, occasionally stopping to read the small signs posted on the closed shops along Hennepin Avenue.

Compared to everywhere else, St. Anthony Main seemed to be alive again. Businesses were still closed, but with Main Street closed to cars, pedestrians were able to spread from the sidewalks and onto the cobblestone street, giving people some room to breathe.

When I got back home, I immediately wiped down all my gear, car keys, and washed my hands. (I’ll be honest, I washed my hands a few times.) My sister and her kids stopped by to say hi through my closed office window, practicing our social distancing and #StayHomeMN.

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